“Like hurricanes and floods, God’s justice should uproot systems of oppression established by our political, religious, and economic prejudice. It should cleanse the world of all its racial, xenophobic, and gender-based violence. God’s justice should wash through our hearts and minds, like the waters of baptism, reforming us into new creations dedicated to fulfilling the law of love and justice for all people.”
Bertram Johnson
Lenten Reflections on the Confession of Belhar
This Lenten season I am using a new resource to explore the Belhar Confession: Lenten Reflections on the Confession of Belhar, edited by Kerri N. Allen and Donald K. McKim. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in which I serve as a teaching elder (pastor), added the Confession of Belhar to our Book of Confessions in 2016. This confession came from the Dutch Reformed Mission Church during its historic struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
See you along the Trail.
“The Belhar pushes the church, as she confesses, to be present in the lives of others beyond formal gatherings and policy-making engagements. Belhar calls the church to come to know itself, to actually love the neighbor, and set captives free.”
“Jesus calls us all in the church to love one another, a sign by which we are identified as Christ’s disciples. This identifying sign is so important to our witness! Let us use the precious gift of time given in this holy season to lean into Jesus’ teaching and learn more of Jesus’ love, that we may reconcile with one another, even–especially–at the table.”
“It is easy to serve God on our own terms when our lives are free of pain, difficulties, and disruptions. Jesus is calling us to follow him now–free from possessions that bind and blind us. He is trying to turn us toward a simple, uncluttered life with nothing in the way of meeting, greeting, and loving God in those whose ‘lives matter’ too.”
“The church’s essential unity may not be threatened by having multiple structures and names; we remain one because Christ has made us one. But when we live separately–when we do not meet together for worship, or hold one another accountable, or study the Bible together–we are all the lesser, unable to speak or hear truth from one another. It’s hard to show love to someone who isn’t there.”
“As a new creation, the church must remember the very incomprehensible love of God that reminds it of its comprehensive mission in the world.
Along the Graybeard Trail 